"Judges do more harm than good": Fans criticize American Idol judges' lack of constructive feedback

Fans criticize the judges of American Idol (Image via Eric McCandless/ABC)
Fans criticize the judges of American Idol (Image via Eric McCandless/ABC)

ABC's American Idol is back with a brand new episode this Sunday night, along with an incredible lineup of performances by the Top 14 contestants. The contestants will attempt to impress the country and gain their votes to secure a spot in the Top 10 of the competition.

However, fans felt that the judges weren't really giving out expert opinions and claimed that they were praising all the contestants even though they sometimes delivered lackluster performances. Fans called out the judges on social media and requested that they provide constructive criticism. One fan tweeted:

The performances were mentored by American country music singer and platinum-certified American Idol alum Gabby Barrett. Some great performances included Christian Guardino, Leah Marlene, Jay Copeland, and Dan Marshall, among others.


Fans react to American Idol judges' feedback on performances

Fans were not impressed with the Idol judges (Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie), and they believed that the judges were not criticizing the contestants the way they used to during the audition round. They felt that the judges were complimenting some performances that weren't up to the mark.

Here's what the fans had to say:


What to expect from this week on American Idol and a little recap of the Top 14

Episode 14 saw the Top 14 take to the stage to give out their best in front of a live audience. With expert advice from Gabby Barrett herself, who was a participant on the show in 2018, the contestants were able to gather some insight and perform their songs with more confidence.

The official synopsis of the episode reads:

“American Idol alum and country music star Gabby Barrett returns to mentor the Top 14 and offer guidance on what it takes to become America’s next superstar."

Last week's episode of American Idol saw the contestants compete to secure a place in the Top 20 on Sunday, April 1, 2022, followed by a safe spot in the Top 14 on Monday, April 18, 2022. As per the official format, ten contestants were announced safe by host Ryan Seacrest and the other ten were placed in the danger zone.

Out of the ten in the danger zone, the judges were required to pick four of their favorites who would join the ten safe contestants to make up America's Top 14. While viewers expected some contestants to land in the danger zone, others took them by surprise. Jay Copeland was one of the unexpected contestants who found himself in the danger zone, and the live audience and judges gasped as the decision was announced.

However, he was declared safe by the judges and joined the Top 14 later. The ones who did not make the cut were Cameron Whitcomb, Cadence Baker, Elli Rowe, Jacob Moran, Katyrah Love, and Sage.


Eleven contestants will be chosen tonight and will make it to the next round, which will be the judges' song contest. Who will be lucky eleven tonight? Readers can keep watching American Idol on ABC to find out.

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